In The Midnight Hour
by xFangtasiax
Summary: After Batista returns to his "animal" instincts, WWE Diva Kat is taught how to be as anaesthetized as the Viper.
1. Chapter 1

**In the midnight hour:**

She couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe she'd done it again. After everything everyone had told her. After Maria, God help the silly red haired Barbie, had sat her down and explained as sweetly as she could , that Dave was by no means sticking to his promise & had she ever noticed he got kind of violent when he was angry? That was kind of like asking did she notice it got dark at night.

So she'd put aside the images of his violence, all too familiar and disturbing, that presented themselves like unwanted guests at a dinner party. And she'd listened to Maria when all she'd wanted to do was slam her head into the bench seat._ "I hate to be the one to tell you this Kat but..." _and then she'd proceeded to tell the entire story with such a measure of glee that you just knew she was salivating over every word. But right then Kat had only been focused on the content. Dave wasn't sticking to his promise.

And his promise wasn't some massive save the cheerleader, save the world kind of gig. Far from it. All he'd had to do, wait for it...was keep it in his pants. That was it.

6 months ago, Dave had approached her ringside while she bounced on her heels and shouted encouragement at Morrison. He'd ignored her request that he back off while she watched to see what Cena was about to do and instead that tanned forehead had wrinkled in lines, eyes crinkling as he sweetly, so sweetly, flirted. And Kat had fallen for it hook, line and stinking sinker.

One month ago, she'd caught him red handed with one of the Divas. Some new rookie they'd bumped up from OVW that couldn't even tie her own shoelaces. But she had ugh...talent...in all the right places. Kat had been walking back from a match, wiping her face with a towel, pushed the door open and found him and her and yeah..the picture got kind of ugly after that. She'd screamed, stormed, used every swearword she knew in her native Russian and threatened to castrate the 39 year old superstar. Dave had come quietly. After he came loudly, if you get the drift. Promised he'd never so much look at another woman. And now Maria was telling her that not only was Dave looking, he was touching, feeling and was probably in the training room right now.

Kat stood up, abruptly. She felt like her head was about to explode. She couldn't take this again. Not the whole locker room knowing it had happened again. What was so wrong with her that Dave had to go somewhere else? She swore viciously and left the room, walking aimlessly down the hallway. It wasn't like she was the diminutive blonde beauty Trish Stratus had been, but then she wasn't exactly Luna either. Kat, short for Katerina, was Russian born and bred, having come to the US for college. She was 5'7, with raven black hair and emerald eyes. She was pale, she was kinda the wrong side of curvy and she didnt go in for the whole look at my ass, not my assets wrestling a lot of the Divas did. Most of them were tanned, gorgeous, had long bleached blonde hair and wore hot pink outfits. Kat wasn't and didn't. Truth be told, she hated the whole set up. Having to parade in bras and panty matches and be told that was wrestling.

Maybe, she thought as she continued the aimless walk, maybe it was time to follow through on the suggestion her friend AJ (as in Styles, from his independent travelling days back in the USSR) had put to her. Leave WWE. Come to TNA. Where the Knockouts actually know what a knock out punch is. Where Tara, formerly Victoria bless her, had gone. Where she'd captured the womens' title the first night and was currently enjoying a reign like no other. Kat watched the show sometimes on late night tv. Watched ODB and Taylor Wilde tear the place up. Watched hurricaranas and swantons with wide eyes. But WWE was home, kind of. It was where she'd first come. It was where most of her friends were. It was where her boyfriend was...if he was still that.

Sure enough, she found herself at the very room Maria had told her about. Cursing herself for being stupid enough to check, Kat rested her head against the door. From inside came the unmistakable sound of Dave's voice, his deep voice playful. It knotted her insides and even though she knew what she'd see, she pushed open the door.

Right in front of her was Rosa Mendes. The expertly foiled hair loose and in rippling curls down a tanned back. The glossy hair was moving steadily up and down as Kat looked. Dave's hands were flat on the back of her head, fisting his hands through the curls and winding his voice round in that playing kind of voice Kat loved.

Right. Well. Maria was telling the truth at least. Kat was silent as Dave did the talking for all of them. Her heart felt like someone had walked on it in stilettos. Like it had been thrown down in the gutter and had a whole convoy run it over. It hurt so badly she brought a hand to her chest, holding herself just over her ribcage in actual pain. If she'd thought it hurt bad the first time, this was a thousand times worse. All Kat wanted to do was fall right there and cry. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't give Dave the satisfaction of knowing he'd hurt her once more. Because then he'd come creeping and she didn't trust herself enough not to give in when she saw his eyes. As she thought about what to do, Dave ended her train of thought by glancing upwards. Something in his mind telling him to look up, he did so, catching sight of Kat stood in the doorway, holding her ribs with a white, shocked look on her face. Holy Mother of ....

In his defence...aw crap. He had no defence and he knew it._ "K...." _he started, shoving Rosa backwards roughly. She fell over on her ass and Kat couldn't even laugh. Dave moved away from the woman, grabbed at a towel to cover himself up, didnt even turn back to look at Rosa as he followed Kat out into the hallway. "K please! Calm down. Come back in here and let me..." She ignored him, walking as fast as she could down the hallway. She was going to lose it and lose it badly. And she didnt need Dave to be around to see her heart break one more time over him.

Kat walked straight into the lean, lithe muscle leaning against the doorway, watching her. _"Sorry" _she mumbled, placing a hand on the glass behind whoever it was to try and push through. Just let me get to the carpark...to my car. Let me close the door and then I'll let it go. I just need to get there. The thought ran through over and over until she realised the person in front of the door wasn't moving an inch. If anything they were blocking her path. _"I really need to get through_" she told them, the Russian accent coming through heavy now she was upset.

_"You're just going to run off?"_ Kat looked up sharply, straight at Randy Orton. His eyes were a dead blue, his face impassive. All 6 foot 5 of him was leant against the door now, tattooed, muscled arms folded over. The way he had them made the t shirt he had on rise just a little over the dark denim jeans he was wearing. A Cartier glittered on his left wrist. His dark hair was wet, if she looked close enough she could see the water where he'd got out the shower in a hurry. But she failed to take in any of that properly as she stood there and folded her own arms._ "Who the hell are you to tell me?" _Randy shrugged, _"Listen lady, I don't give a crap what you do. But you're weak if you run off now. Everyone will know. And everyone will know you hurt so bad you had to run off"_ Kat wanted to slap the smug, arrogant face in front of her. All she wanted was to run. To resign from WWE now, take up with TNA and maybe come back in 5 years when Dave had retired._ "I do hurt"_ she snapped, placing her hand on the glass door once more. "_Please tell me you didnt see what happened?" _she added, lifting her head to meet his. Randy's chin was just above her head when she lifted it and she met the steady look in his eyes. _"Dave came running out with his fat ass showing , it wasn't hard to guess_" he pointed out. Kat wanted to cry right then. Every reminder hurt. Looking down at her bracelet, the one he'd given her last week, hurt. Randy mentioning his name, hurt. All she wanted to do was get out. "_Please" _she said, attempting to duck under his arm and leave. Randy shifted his arm so she was stuck and she glared at him. _"Listen asshole, you can lecture me all you want about my relationship later, okay? But I want out right now and you're blocking me"_ she warned, frowning.

Randy snorted, _"I'm scared. Truly. You're gonna turn around, go back in the locker room, get dressed, go out there and have your match Kat. Then when you're done, you're gonna have that backstage interview with Josh. Then you'll do a little wave to the camera and a kiss like you do every single show. Then you can leave_" he told her. Kat was stunned for a moment. He knew her entire schedule. Even knew what she did when she left each Monday night. More importantly, why was he telling her what to do? It threw her off track enough to ask, "Why?" Randy rolled his eyes like she was having problems hearing and said clearly, "Do what the hell you want". He left her then, leaving the door wide open, stepping back into his own locker room and closing the door in her face.

Kat stood looking at the exit, the carpark just beyond it. She could turn up the heat in the car and cry right there, head against the glass. Trouble was, it wasn't what she wanted anymore. Her hair was already done, her ring bag back in her room and her boots already laced up.


	2. Chapter 2

Kat thought about Randy's words as she waited in gorilla, watching Jericho come back through bouncing about like a kitten on a hot tin roof with a short smile on her face. It was impossible not to feel better just watching him. How so much confidence and arrogance had been squeezed into the 6 foot nothing frame was always a mystery. When the blonde man had bounded past her, clutching gold in his grasp and the famous mouth running a million miles a minute, her thoughts drifted back. Every bone in her body wanted to turn and run for the door again, to get in the car and break down but somehow she was stood here in gorilla, waiting for her match.

She had no idea how she was going to wrestle, how she could think about what foot went where when all that was running through her mind was Dave. Oh sure she knew he had a reputation, that was kind of like saying did she know Jensen Ackles was hot, but somehow Kat had thought it would be different with her. But it wasn't, was it? It was the same, all over again. Except now she had two choices. Leave Dave and just the very thought of doing so brought tears to the heavily kohled eyes as she stood there looking at her boots, leave him and have everyone know why she'd left him, that she hadn't been good enough to hold onto him after all. Or stay with him and have everyone know she'd put up with that. It wasn't easy either way and the train of thought running in her head left her exhausted. What on earth was she doing? She wasn't even ready to go out there, to do this match. The tears stinging her eyes were making it hard to see. All Kat could do was replay what she'd seen over and over. There was no way she'd be able to focus on her match. This was a stupid idea. Just because Randy Orton had blocked her path out and told her to man up. What the hell would he know? All his crap about showing them what she was made of. Right now she was made of hurt.

The strains of her entrance music hit her dully, watched the sound guy gesture she should go through the curtain. To where the ramp was, where the screen was. Where hundreds upon thousands of fans in this arena would see the shadows in her eyes. Kat sighed. Fine. She'd do this match and then she'd leave. To hell with Dave. To hell with Randy Orton and all his advice. She scuffed a boot against the other and smoothed her hair once more, taking a step closer to the curtain, waiting for the right chord to hit to make her entrance. A heavy hand dropped onto her shoulder, tightened, clenched around the bone. "Dave...not now okay?" The hand squeezed her shoulder a little harder, til she looked up. Brilliant blue eyes burned at her coldly. "I'm kind of insulted" he said after a minute. "My ass is nowhere near as fat". "His ass is no...what do you want anyway? Have you changed your mind on your advice then? Can I go run and hide now?" The look in her eyes was almost pleading and he narrowed his own.

"Run and hide? You want people like Melina knowing she has one over on you? If she sees you run out of here or she sees you out there looking like the walking dead, you'll never live it down sugar. It'll hang over your head forever. She'll get that prick and then she'll come after you for the title or whatever you have that she wants" Randy explained, ignoring the sound guy waving frantically at them. He gestured to loop the music once more and went right on talking. One tattooed arm stretched out to gesture at the curtains. Kat's eyes went to the curling roses, the skulls and the words etched round the muscled bicep, vaguely listening when he spoke. "I'm not the walking dead" she commented idly. "You sure look like it Kat. All sad and sorry for yourself" She frowned at him in annoyance. "Well Mr Numb Ass..." she started, looking away sharply when he started to snort with laughter at the term, "What business is it of yours?" she spat. What did he care? "It isn't. Hell...you're hurting huh?" he asked, watching her blink back tears sharply. Kat looked up to see his cerulean eyes still as cold as ever. "And you want to walk out there like a wet rag and do some crap performance that'll have your ass before the McMahons" he glanced out between the curtains once more. "You pull a proper match, I'll take you to some fancy place and you can cry into my shoulder, hows that?" he asked.

Kat stopped and stared at him for a long moment, conscious his body had stilled and the intense eyes were focused on her own. Randy Orton did not care about other people. He did not go around offering to be the shoulder to lean on. It wasn't in his nature, was it? Why was he offering? "Why are you offering Randy? It sorta doesn't go with your Viper image" she pointed out. Randy sighed like she was an idiot and replied, "Cause I want the gossip on that Dave. Now go out there and fight properly" he ordered, giving her a rough shove through the curtain. Kat almost stumbled going through, catching herself just before she stacked on national television. Her boots moved forward automatically as she took a moment to look up.

The sight of the crowd, packed to the rafters never failed to cheer her. People rammed forward right to the barriers, leaning over them and waving their hands at her. Faces in the nosebleed seats peering down, wondering what ant like figure was coming out now. There was a little girl leaning over the barrier closes to her, waving fat pudgy little hands her way. Kat grabbed them and leant into the little girl, hugging her tightly. She clapped the hands of a few more people lining her way, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she looked around. The noise of the crowd, the roiling, breathing mass of humanity surrounding her suddenly wiped away Dave. Wiped away what she'd seen and wiped away Randy's words about remembering not to feel anything. Kat grinned at the camera, flicked her trademark sign and vaulted the top rope into the ring, feeling it spring lightly under her step. She took to the top rope and saluted the fans, revelling in the noise that came back. Who the hell needed any of that back there when she had this?

She hopped down and leant back casually against the ropes, feeling more full of pump than she had been in weeks, even before Dave started being an ass. Her opponents theme music started and Kat could have cartwheeled in sheer happiness. Kelly Kelly. So Kat would win tonight. The peroxide blonde flounced down the ramp in nothing more than a Victoria's Secret Special and Kat let her flaunt herself around the ring. Kelly jumped up and down in the middle and the sad thing was the pneumatic implants stayed right where they were throughout the whole thing. Kat bided her time until Kelly turned, looking for Kat, then she locked up with her.

It was almost too easy to flip the girl around and bring a neckbreaker on her. They'd had a talk about being mindful of the new girls like Kelly, the ones who didnt necessarily know all the moves but they had such pretty faces. Kat ignored all of it, listening to the bones in Kelly's neck grind together, listening to the girl groan in genuine pain. Not tonight. Tonight she didnt do the 'baby the new girl' thing. Tonight Kat wanted to hurt someone. Kelly rejoined a little while later with a half hearted clothesline. Kat ducked under it and leg sweeped the blonde to the mat, resisting the urge to launch at her and rip the curls from her head. Instead, she took the girl to town, dragging her up the side of a turnbuckle, propping her up against it, climbing the ropes and giving what she personally thought was the best hurricarana she'd given in weeks. It was kind of satisfying to see Kelly go flying like that. Kinda great to hear JR talk about her like that. No-one was mentioning Dave. Not out here. Out here it was just how she proved herself.

As she caught Kelly a glancing blow to the chops, she looked up at the screen to watch. As she did, Kat caught sight of Dave. Stood right at the curtains. His face was a mask of sorrow and she felt her own face twist in sympathy. Then she remembered what he'd been doing and she snapped Kelly back so viciously she heard the girl call out.


	3. Chapter 3

She finishes the match in a blur, barely sure what she's using, only that Kelly's on the losing end of it. Kat finds herself on the top rope, flying backwards and she had no idea she even knew that move. Maybe its because Dave's up there and she wants Randy's words to be true right now, wants to show him just what he's missing out on. Maybe its because she wants to prove to herself that there's more than just some jilted Diva out here, oh God she sounds like Melina endlessly bitching on. Whatever. Kat focuses on ending the match, on giving the people who paid to see her what they came for.

All she knows is that when she's finished she's breathing heavily and Kelly's giving her a surreptitious thumbs up. Idiot. The fans in the front row can see her. She nods at Kelly briefly, turns away, lets the ref hold up her hand. Batista makes his way slowly down the ramp and she can't quite tell whats in his eyes. Kelly shuffles her way out of the ring, holding her side close and Kat drops down too, landing on the ground. If she looks at Dave, she'll give in. She'll take one look at the baby brown eyes and she'll forget what he was doing back there. If she ignores him, walks back up the ramp, then everyone will know she knows. And the pity will start.

But she finds her saviour running down the ramp towards her, the sky blue in his eyes flat cold as he glares at Dave. Randy skids off against the ring, holds up her hand and claps like thats the entire reason he came down. "Just follow my cue" . Kat looked up from under her eyelashes, watches him wrap an arm around Batista as sweetly as anything, just two friends congratulating their favourite Diva. Only she is close enough to hear Randy mutter, "One more step towards her and I'll grind your face into the dirt". She blinked, stared at him. Not that she didnt appreciate the sentiment, there were a few more parts of Dave she'd like to grind into the dirt too, but it was so unexpected to hear the numb, aloof Viper coming through for anyone. Dave reached out for her shoulder, places a firm hand on it to turn her his way. Kat reaches up, holds onto his wrist and begs herself not to give in, not to look up, not to grasp his hand like she wants to. Instead she drops his hand off her shoulder neatly, making it look like she's playing. Without looking at him, she raises her own arms in the air again and distracts the attention from them by eliciting a crowd response. "Kat? Kat honey, we need to talk" Dave said and she can hear the sadness in his voice. She doesn't trust herself to say anything, knowing if she does her voice will crack. So she gives the crowd another smile, startled slightly when Randy leans in to her ear, speaks again, a cold voice chilling against the back of her neck. "Go. Now".

Doing a pirouette in front of the ring, she gives Randy a coy, flirtatious smile, to which he blinks. She manages to give Dave the same smile without looking at him, before prancing back up the ring, looking for all the world like someone on top of their game. As she came back through gorilla, hearing Maria congratulate her on the match, hearing Jericho tell her it was one of the best he'd seen, she realised Randy was right. No-one was talking about the rumour between Dave and Melina. They were talking about how awesome her match was. She could almost sit down and cry in relief right there. No-one was looking at her with pity and no-one was thinking how she'd failed to keep her man by her side. Instead, it was all positive attention. Kat could hear Randy and Dave behind her in gorilla, Dave furious and growling, Randy snapping and enraged.

She followed Randy's suggestions from earlier, picked up her stuff and headed out to the carpark. At the door she turned and waved back at the camera, just like she did every other week when her life wasn't in ruins. When the cameraman waved back and moved off, she could see Randy brush Dave right back off him, the older man lashing out with a fist and very nearly catching the Legend Killer. The bright blue eyes were on him in an instant, bringing a sharp fist up into Dave's ribs. There was a dark, hushed conversation between them that she couldn't hear but both of them looked furious. Kat knew if she stayed she'd want to know what Dave was saying, why he looked so earnest and why Randy was blocking his path. She'd want to know why Randy seemed to be bothered by it and why he wasn't just leaving it.

The reality of the situation, what she'd caught Dave doing and how totally alone that made her feel weighed on her heavily right then. Now that she was away from the crowd and the lights were dim, Kat felt herself sag. She couldn't keep this act up anymore. She needed to be out, locked in her hotel room. So she slipped out the arena door, finding her car, unlocking it and sliding into it.


	4. Chapter 4

Kat makes it out of the parking lot, she makes it down the street, she makes it just to where the bowling alley is opposite the pizza place and then she loses it. She loses it so hard she can't see the alley through the tears and she pulls into the parking lot, skids the handbrake as she shoves it on, hard. The car shudders and jerks to a stop. When it does, she folds her hands over the steering wheel, rests her head on the cool plastic there and lets it out.

Why, just for once, thats all she's asking, why can't something go right for her? She loves him, pours her heart and soul into it and all she's getting back is this. Her phone buzzes, rings constantly in the bag. Kat sniffles, turns her head to look at it. Dave. His number keeps flashing. Call after call with messages in between. Over and over. Kat knows if she picks up the phone she'll hear the same thing. I'm sorry. I can't help it. It happened. Forgive me. I love you. We can go on from here. Don't I tell you I love you enough? It was just sex Kat. She ducks her head as a fresh round of tears spill out. Just sex indeed. Asshole. She rubs her forehead on the steering wheel idly as sad thoughts run round in her mind. Too bad she's not like Maryse. That girl can sleep with whoever she wants, when she wants and no-one says a thing. To her, if this was Maryse here, dealing with this, she wouldn't take it, wouldn't be sat here sobbing because her heart was broken. First of all she'd knee Dave right in the thing that was causing all the problems and then she'd move on. She'd acknowledge it was just sex after all and for people like her, it didnt mean much. That was fine. For people like Kat it meant an awful lot. It meant so much she wanted to die right here. And she knew she was being dramatic, no-one was really going to die here in the parking lot and no-one ever died from a broken heart. But it felt like it. Eventually, she'd sit up and drive home, where she'd stare at the wall blankly until she fell asleep. Then she'd get up and do her radio interview for this town. The signing she had to do tomorrow with Randy Orton. Then she'd come home and stare blankly at the wall again.

Oh God. The interview, with Randy. Who'd seen her run out like that. Who'd come to her rescue twice, made sure she didnt leave her professional life as screwed up as her personal one was. And Kat would have to sit next to him tomorrow afternoon and pretend like nothing had happened. He wasn't like Morrison, who would have dug for all the details and then told her not to worry, if she needed a bedmate he was there. Randy would sit there, cold and ominous, a wave of disapproval washing over him, until she was not only heartbroken but worthless too. Of all the people to save her behind, the aneastheized Randy was not who she'd been expecting.

A sudden rap on her window made her jump badly. She glanced quickly at the clock on the dash. 1am. How long had she been sat here crying? It was probably the security guard, coming to lock the place up. Kat turned. And looked straight into Randy Orton's cold blue eyes. She resisted the urge to jump back again. Or pretend she hadn't seen him. Or that she was someone else. He opened the door, letting freezing cold air rush into the car. It made her sit up and frown slightly at him. She was trying to have a broken heart here, not trying to freeze to death. "This is home is it?" His sarcastic comment made her pause. "Yes actually it is" she replied, "I own four such parking lots" He smirked, nodded in approval, rubbed his hands together against the cold. "You had a good show tonight" he remarked. Kat paused in rubbing her own hands together. Randy Orton just complimented her? And it didnt look like it would be swiftly followed by an RKO. He was just getting weirder and weirder. "Thanks" she told him "But I was kind of trying to die of a broken heart here" she admitted. Randy's face darkened, blanching into black and he walked around the other side of the car. She could see his Dodge a few spots over. How long has he been there? Watching her cry? Kat kind of likes the fact that he's here, kind of likes the fact he's been watching over her from his car. "A broken heart?" he asks, sliding into the passenger seat and bringing his boots up onto the polished dash. "From Dave? Seriously?" he looks at her with narrowed eyes, genuinely curious. Kat snuffles, rubs her nose with her hand ungracefully. Randy snorts himself and hands her a tissue. Winces again when she blows her nose like a walrus. "I..." she starts and Randy holds up a hand. "If you say you love him, I'll kill you myself" he promises.

"It hurts" she tells him and Randy glances away quickly. Her eyes are red rimmed and the pain in them is obvious. "You know what helps?" he asked, "What helps is getting low down and filthy drunk" he offers. "Drown your sorrows and see little pink elephants" he adds. Kat giggles despite herself. "I'm a little pink elephant" she says sadly, looking down at the curvy figure she has. Melina's own figure flashes into her mind. Randy doesn't flatter her like she thought he might and she glances sideways. "What?" he asks, flipping down her passenger mirror to check out the bags under his eyes. "I'm not flattering you Kat. Thats not what you need". She's intrigued, lifts up her head and uses the tissue again. "Go on then. Smartass. Tell me what I need"


	5. Chapter 5

Randy grinned and glanced away briefly, like he was about to say something and then changed his mind. "What you need" he said slowly, like Kat was 5 and having issues understanding why eating sand is never a good idea. "What you need is to forget about Dave" he explained simply. Kat stared at him. Well, yes, that was the obvious option. But it was kind of hard to forget about loving someone. So she told Randy that and he winced, holding up his hand again. "Honey...I don't really wanna stand hear and listen to you rate that ass okay? I'm telling you what you need" he said. Kat folded her arms across her chest and sighed, annoyed. Randy had interrupted her out of her doldrums, rapped on her window and was now giving her a lecture that didnt really say anything new at all.

"No, you're not telling me what I need. You're telling me what everyone is telling me. Forget him. I can't!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air, wanting nothing more than to start crying again. Except she wouldn't. Not right now, not in front of Randy. Kat settled for throwing her gaze up to Heaven. The night was dark and cloudy, ominous and cold. Randy's car ticked quietly behind him as the engine settled. The almost tangible blue of his eyes shifted slightly as he watched her. She couldnt read his thoughts, his face nothing but a mask of silence. "And you're not gonna listen" he stated. It was obvious she wouldn't. Kat was leant back against the seat, her beautiful eyes red rimmed, the pale skin streaked through with tears and her hair a total mess where she'd run her hands through it. Her voice was shaky and hoarse from crying and she sagged while she waited for him to just finish so she could go back to weeping. Randy leant over her suddenly, the broad expanse of his back right in front of her face. Kat could see where the tag for his shirt stuck up. Unconsciously, she slipped it back inside the shirt like she'd done a million times for Dave. Randy slid the keys out of her ignition and sat back in his seat, eyeing her with that intense stare from under his eyebrows. "Just tucked your tag in" she mumbled, drawing patterns on the window. Randy stretched out one muscled, tattooed arm and chucked her under the chin, finger smoothing across her cheek. The movement was so unexpected it made her tense and she could see the dark clouds swing into his eyes once more. Her mobile kept up its continuous buzz as Randy turned to see what was making the noise. He picked up the mobile and checked the number, raised an eyebrow. In the brief period between calls he checked the number of times Dave had called and raised the other eyebrow. Randy glanced at Kat once more, knocked her shoulder roughly. "Moan" he ordered. Kat arched an eyebrow briefly and some of her old arrogance flickered in her eyes. "Excuse me?". "Moan" he said, indicating the phone. She looked confused. "How's that going to help anything?" she asked, going back to staring out of the window. Obviously her moaning wasn't what kept him here was it? Otherwise he wouldn't have been doing that, with her.

"Kat" Randy explained, fingers hovering over the answer button. "He knows you'll be weeping your pretty little heart out. So when I hit answer, moan. Shock him a little" She started to shake her head when he held up his hand for the third time and she wanted to hit it this time. Holding up his hand like some kind of authority figure. "For me" he asked and Kat's eyes widened. For him? Why the hell did he care what Dave thought? It occurred to her maybe he just wanted to get one over on Dave. Maybe if she said yes, Randy would leave her alone. But as she looked back at the brilliant blue eyes holding hers in the dim light of the car, Kat thought maybe she didnt want to be alone. She wasn't done crying, but she was done being lonely. "Fine" she muttered, hearing Randy click answer on her phone.

"Kat? Kat!" Dave's voice was loud and deep over the phone. It flipped her insides and she turned to stare at the phone, listening to his voice. "Come on baby, talk to me". And she couldn't moan like Randy was gesturing to. Not when Dave's voice sounded so upset, so scared. Maybe he was just scared she'd ruin is stuff or something. Right now, with her mind so confused, she was finding it hard to believe Dave could still love her and cheat like he had. But Dave was pleading with her just to reply. And she wanted to, she couldnt moan like Randy was insisting she now did, pointing a finger at her. Kats eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. Randy rolled his own eyes and neatly threw the phone onto the backseat. It was still on, Dave's voice still coming through clearly. Randy leant over from the passenger seat, unclicked her seatbelt deftly and pulled her across her seat until she was leant right on the very edge. His hand captured her jawline and chin firmly, tugging her face his way, brushing his lips over hers so faintly she thought he hadn't done it at all. The feather touch made her moan quietly. Randy's laugh was a rumble in his chest as Kat realised what he'd done. He didnt let her go though, smoothing his finger over her lips now, watching her pupils dilate as she watched him. Dave's voice on the phone was silent. He was still there, she could hear the crackle of the open line, but he was deadly silent.

Randy made the loudest sound of someone turning around in their seat. It was dramatic and way over the top, making Kat giggle despite herself. He winked at her and said almost at the top of his voice, "Kitty Kat honey, your phones' still on. Let me turn it off for you" His voice was pure drizzled sugar that sent a warm flow right down her spine as she listened to him. Kat let him turn the phone off, take the battery out so Dave couldnt call anymore. She stared at him, dumbfounded. Had he really done what she thought he'd just done? Had she? That wasn't going to help her deal with Dave. Randy drummed his fingers on the dash, looking supremely satisfied. "What you need" he continued, "Is to go get stinking blind drunk with me" he said, jingling her keys. "My car. Come on". Wordlessly, she followed him out of her car, letting him open the passenger door of his Dodge for her, perching herself on the leather seats. Not quite sure what she was doing but liking the numb attitude Randy was cultivating. The way he didnt care what Dave thought, he didnt overly seem to care what she thought. The way he reached out and took thinks, like her lips. Kat pressed them together, shutting that thought out.


	6. Chapter 6

"Come get blind drunk with me" is what he'd said. She thought she knew what that entailed; lots and lots of alcohol, some run down dive where ring rats wouldn't eye him off, just leather clad guys who only opened their mouths to drink. Thats what'd meant, right? So thats kind of what she'd been expecting. It wasn't until he'd parked, got out, come round, opened her door for her and was now stood drumming his hands on the top of the door while she got her thoughts together, that Kat realised this place wasn't what she was expecting.

For one thing, as Randy leant back against the door to open it, holding her wrist and leading her into the cosily lit room, it didn't stink of beer. There was no sawdust on the floor, no leather clad bikies, nothing was being hurled through the air. Instead of a surly barkeep, there was a pleasantly plump lady in a checked apron holding a menu and smiling happily. Kat blinked in suprise, taking a better look around the place. It wasn't a bar at all. It was a family style Italian resturaunt, complete with chintzy tablecloths, padded chairs and a low hum drum of chatter that was easy on the ears. She stared at Randy, "This is where you come to get blind drunk?" she asked, following him as he followed behind the little old lady. He slid out her chair for her with a foot and dropped down into his own. "She's nice" the old lady said, handing Kat a menu. Kat arched an eyebrow. The waitress thought she was nice? "Much nicer than the women you usually bring here Randall" she added. Now Kat's other eyebrow joined the first. Randy coughed, nodded at her, ordered a bottle of something and waved her away almost fondly. It was such a change from the cold, hard man they saw in the ring that Kat couldn't help staring. And that was besides the fact the waitress had spoken to him like that. "Randall?" she said after a moment, smiling despite herself, "Well...I suppose at least I'm better than the usual type you bring here" she offered. Of course. Usual type. He wasn't called the Ladykiller for nothing. Twiddling with her fork idly, Kat could just see Orton bringing half the Divas here. Compared to them, Kat would look downright homely. Still...she wasn't here for anything other than to find the nearest bottle and proceed to drown in it. So it didnt matter what the waitress thought, or what Randy thought for that matter. With that in mind, Kat stopped trying to sit politely in the chair and slouched instead, uncrossed the delicate way she'd had her legs crossed and rested them up on the other seat instead. Randy laughed, "My 'usual sort' is usually Ted & Cody, so yeah, I'd say you were better than them too" he explained. "She's probably just relieved I'm not gay" he added.

Kat giggled. Ted's down home American good looks and Cody's almost manic way of behaving when the attention was on him would no doubt have piqued the womans' interest. Three good looking men dining together? "You can always call them" she offered, picking up the knife now and twirling it alongside the fork. Randy swiped the knife from her fingers, brushing the backs of his against hers when he did so. He appeared not to notice but pointed the blade at her, "Now come on woman, I have a choice between you and them, who'd you think I'm gonna pick?" Kat knew Randy meant between her , Ted and Cody, she knew that. But she couldnt stop her mind jumping to Melina when he said it. Dave had, had a choice too. Between her and Melina. And so she wasn't really thinking straight when she answered, "Melina. Like Dave".

Randy frowned at her, the light blue eyes storming over. "Melina huh?" he answered, taking the wine and proferred glasses from the waitress. The little old lady looked over at Kat's sunken face, the way she was sadly playing with the cutlery and glared at Randy, clearly blaming him. He threw up his hands in self defence. "You pay no attention to him" the lady said, resting a hand on Kat's arm. Suprised, she looked up, confused for a moment whether the woman meant Randy or Batista. "I usually don't" she said, referring to Randy. "I'll bring you something special" she added, patting Kat's arm once more. Kat watched her wander off, watched her speak to a similiarily old man behind the counter. As she gazed at them, the old man twirled her round where she stood. Kat started to smile, Randy catching it and slouching around in his chair to see what she was looking at. "Hey..I know you prefer older guys but he's a hell of a lot older than Batista" Randy said, sipping his wine. Kat snorted so hard into hers she almost splattered bubbles in her nose. "Not that. I mean she only went back to tell him to make something and he's dancing with her. Look" she pointed out. Randy watched them for a few minutes and then looked back at her. She was still watching the old couple, but Randy's eyes were no longer on them. The cerulean ones stayed on Kat until she turned back to him. She held his gaze a moment and then looked down at the table. "Thats why I like coming here" he said quietly, pouring wine into her glass. "No-one's trying to be anything they're not" he admitted. It was Kat's turn to stare at him as he focused on pouring her wine for her. What did that mean? The Viper wasn't who he made out he was?

But then who was? Dave had made out he was something he wasn't too. Faithful. She sighed and Randy looked up. "Listen KitKat, I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you mope about fat ass all night" he commented. She glanced up at the nickname, "I'm not a chocolate bar. And why did you bring me here?" she asked. "Cause, KitKat" he repeated, emphasising it this time, "You need to drown your sorrows. So you're gonna get drunk and we're gonna talk about anything. Anything other than him. Something that makes you happy" he suggested. Maybe it was the wine resting on her tongue but Kat returned with, "Makes me happy? That's not very numb Mr Viper is it?" He raised his glass, "Touche. Not everything everyone does has an ulterior motive Kat. I don't wanna bed you. I don't want you to be my tag partner. I just want dinner and you looked so sad crying" he admitted and now she stared at him for a long moment. "That was almost human of you" she said, wondering why when he'd said he didnt want to bed her, she'd felt so let down inside. But, then, if Dave, her regular boyfriend had bedded someone else, it figured a random guy wouldn't want to either. What the hell was wrong with her? She didnt have three heads and Kat was sure she didnt smell bad. Why the hell couldnt she hold down a normal relationship? Was she just unattractive? Did she perhaps walk around drooling out the side of her mouth and no-one told her? Was that it? Her reverie was interrupted when the waitress returned, laying down tiramisu in front of her. Kat's eyes lit up. Randy had a bowl of pasta. "How come I got dessert and you got a main?" she asked. Randy shrugged, "Cause you need the sugar" he suggested. "Do I drool?" she asked after a moment. Randy paused with the spoon halfway to his mouth. "Do you drool? Only over me sunshine but then most people do" he replied, flexing a bicep. The tattoos curled and moved on his arm. Kat tore her eyes away from it and gave him a disparaging look. "I'm sure they do. I mean, what's wrong with me?"

Randy held up his fork. "You see this? This is a fork. You say one more negative thing about you or you so much as think of that fat assed old imbecile and I will jab you in the ass so hard you wont sit down again" he promised, twitching the fork. Kat started to laugh but his eyes remained serious. Finally, she stopped, taking a spoonful of the tiramisu and tasting it. She glanced back at Randy, who was waiting, watching her with a half smirk on his face, like he knew she was dying to say it just to test him. So Kat kept him waiting, until she couldnt keep it quiet anymore and through a mouthful of cream said, "Its cause I'm fat right?" True to his word, Randy somehow managed to land the fork the curve of her thigh as they sat, despite her fighting him off. She snorted, almost choked on the cream and began to laugh. "I'm telling my old lady" she promised, picking up her spoon. "And then you are so in trouble" Randy shrugged. "She loves me. I'm everyones' blue eyed boy. You tell her, see if she doesn't think you're just a stroppy harlot after her little boy" he remarked, winking. Kat buried her face in her hand to stop giggling as Randy flashed the old lady a brilliant, beaming smile that made the old man behind her frown.

He watched her laugh, watched her pile a spoon high of froth and cream and then look at him. "One more ego driven comment and I'll throw it at you" she promised. Randy snorted, holding up his hand in agreement for silence and went back to his pasta. The baby blue eyes sparkled as he looked up from under his eyelashes. Kat had to fight the smile back off her face as he couldnt leave it either, saying with spaghetti half out of his mouth, "But I'm awesome". Kat landed the cream right onto his neck, where he made a noise of suprise and started to wipe it off. She watched him scoop the cream onto long, tanned fingers and bit back her giggles. "Real mature KitKat" he remarked, "Real mature. I can see now why you're such a rebel in the Womens Division. You win all your matches with cream?" He held out two fingers covered in cream, touched her lips with them. The movement surprised her, what surprised her more was the fact she gripped his wrist and took the two fingers into her mouth. Randy's ice blue darkened to a stormy navy colour and he tried to glance down at his own neck. "I'm sure I have some more somewhere" he muttered. "No Randy. I don't win all my matches with cream" she replied, jabbing her spoon his way. "I just make them cream" Randy raised an eyebrow. "You make the women cream? Ah see now we get to the heart of the matter Kat, see, you're really a lesbian". She was laughing so hard her teeth rattled on the edge of the wine glass. "I didn't mean that...I meant...the men" she tried to explain, spilling wine over the glass as she laughed. Randy snorted with laughter himself, watching her try to dab at the offending stain on the cloth before the waitress could come see. He eventually rested the wine bottle over the spot and said, "Yeah. I knew what you meant" She looked up and caught his gaze, "I personally loved that dark purple thing you wore" he said casually. Kats' spoon paused halfway to her mouth and she coughed. Randy's eyes narrowed and he shook his head to himself.

"What made you get into wrestling?" he asked after long moment, looking like her answer didn't matter as he focused on the food. "Scott Hall" she answered confidently, distracted from thoughts of her errant boyfriend and back to the man she'd loved since she was 5. "Razor? My dad and he used to hang out a lot when I was growing up" Randy said and Kat told him quickly how she'd seen Ramon once lean over the ropes, flick a toothpick at someone and call them 'chico'. She'd been in love ever since. Randy told her how Bob and Scott had once drank six sixpacks in one sitting, cursing at a football game until they were so drunk they never realised they were actually watching the womens' netball.

As Kat laughed, telling him how she'd told Patterson that Scott Hall was her idol and then been quickly checked for drugs or drink as a response, the door to the resturaunt opened. Batista pushed open the door, took a quick look around. Both Kat and Randy saw him at the same time. Randy's eyes narrowed while Kat's opened wide with unshed tears. What the hell was she doing sat here? Rambling on about Scott? The heartache that had sat quietly until now made itself known. It felt like a yawning hole opening in her chest, letting her know that while she'd been able to sit here and ignore it, now it was back again. And it hurt. Kat found herself hunched over in the seat, holding onto her stomach and trying not to cry. Dave was alone, his face taut and tense with worry. He had his mobile in one hand, dialling a number repeatedly. There were dark shadows under his eyes and his age seemed to have hit him all at once. He looked sad and all she wanted to do was go over and make it right, even if it was all his doing. With the last vestige of pride she had, Kat looked over at Randy, who was watching her carefully. "Please" she asked, "Please get me out of here"


	7. Chapter 7

He did. God bless him, he did. Randy got her out of there quick smart. He didn't stop and try to say anything about how being numb or aneasthetised or any other words he normally used would help right now, or point out how eventually, like tomorrow, she'd have to deal with Dave. Instead, Randy improvised by throwing his leather jacket up over her head as she stood, looking around for a way to get out. He hooked it over her head, burying her face into his shoulder, so it just looked like he was holding some woman in a tight embrace as he slipped out the back exit of the resturaunt with her. He passed the old lady the money for their bill and slipped out into the alley behind the resturaunt with her, where he let the leather jacket fall from her face.

Dave stood stock still in the middle of the place, eyes moving over each and every face he saw there. He could have sworn he'd seen Kat. Sat right there with what looked to be Randy Orton. Orton trying to muscle in on Kat wouldn't have surprised him. She was beautiful. Kat was the most beautiful person he'd ever laid eyes on. He'd been kicking himself mentally for the last 6 hours, until his mind was bruised and sore. His eyes were blurry as he scanned the faces once more. No Kat, no Randy. It surprised him that Kat might have been sat in here anyway. After what she'd seen, he'd expected her to go back to the hotel, to cry, to ..well, he wasn't sure exactly what he'd expected after that awful look of shock had flashed across her face. But he hadn't expected her to go out there and pull off such a brilliant match, or turn up having dinner with one of the WWE's most eligible. Or Dave's most hated, whichever way you wanted to look at it. But he was sure it had been Kat, the same wavy hair, the same curves sat in the seat. She'd been laughing and he'd know that giggle anywhere. So where was she now?

Kat wasn't answering her phone, the hotel room was as cold and empty as when they'd both left it earlier. She wasn't anywhere he'd expected her to be, like the ice cream parlour drowning her sorrows or the bar, doing the same thing. None of the other Divas had seen her. Kat had just disappeared and it worried him. Dave knew how hypocritical it was to be worried about her not being where he expected, right after he'd been caught with Melina. It was downright asinine. He didn't really have an explanation for it. Didn't know how to explain it to her or make it better. But he wanted to see Kat, right now. He wanted to say something. She couldn't just walk away, she had every right to, but she couldn't. Not his Kat.

Kat smoothed her hair, mussed up from the leather jacket and stared at Randy, focusing on getting her bearings. A dark alley, Randy in front of her, the spilling light from the cafe behind her illuminating his face in shadows. "Thanks" she gets out and Randy nods, catching his chin in his hand and running his fingers over it the way certain men do when they're thinking. "Kind of put a dampner on the whole thing" he commented wryly. "Come on" ushering her in behind him, he began to walk out of the alley, heading back towards her car. "You can just drop me back at the hotel if you like" she offered, sighing a little. Just when things seemed that little bit brighter, just when maybe, just maybe, her emotions were settling, Dave had appeared and thrown them all akimbo. Damn him. Damn him to hell. But she was sure he'd been searching for her with wet eyes, sure he'd been desperate. She wanted to talk to him but she wanted to make him wait, to sweat it out...and Kat wanted to spend more time with the elusive Viper she'd never really known. "Drop you off? It's getting kinda late KitKat, but you really wanna go home?" he asked, checking the gold Cartier in the dim interior light of the car. She sighed, not answering, which gave him exactly the answer he needed. "Could head back to mine" Randy said, in a flat, cold voice that told her nothing of what he was thinking. "I have icecream" he added, in the same cold tone. Kat glanced sideways at him and couldn't help smiling. She couldnt tell whether he was praying she'd say no and ask to be dropped back, or whether she'd accept. Kat kind of liked that his emotions weren't written on his face. "I'd like that. Only if I get the bigger bowl though" she remarked, watching Randy shake his head. He took over the drivers' seat and started the engine.

"At some point you're going to have to face him again you know" he said after a few moments. She nodded, "Yeah. I know. Probably tomorrow at the interview we're supposed to have. I don't know..." she didnt know if she wanted to go. If she could face it. Having Dave there and all the words likely to come spilling out of his mouth. He was sorry. It was an accident. He slipped and fell. He loved her. Kat didn't know if she could hear it one more time. She wanted to talk to Dave, but she didn't know if she could hear exactly the same platitudes that she'd heard last time come from between those lying lips again. Knowing that he hadn't meant one word last time if he'd done it all over again. How could she believe him this time? But if he was talking in her ear all day Kat knew she wasn't strong enough to just hold up. So she turned in her seat and eyed Randy seriously, until he looked sideways. He looked surprised at the intensity of her stare and reached out while driving to poke at her nose with a finger. "Quit it. Its annoying" he told her, debating whether to run the red light or not. "Will you come with me? Tomorrow?" she asked, on the spur of the moment. He seemed like he could make Dave shut up. Or maybe Dave would be so pissed off by Randy's presence he wouldn't speak to Kat at all and she'd have the silence in her own thoughts that she needed.

On second thoughts, it was weak. Asking Randy to step in because she was too scared to face Dave on her own. Maybe he'd think that and tell her to grow up. Face Dave on her own. Her lip wobbled slightly as she thought about it. Randy was watching, stopped at the red light, hands resting on the wheel. The numb Viper had already come careening to her rescue once tonight. "Sure" he said, offhand, looking out the window. His jaw was tense and Kat couldn't see his eyes. Then he turned and she caught the glitter in them from the light outside, "If you make it worth my while"


	8. Chapter 8

When the icecream was gone and following a round of good natured insults that Randy didn't expect from Dave's girlfriend and she certaintly didn't expect from the Viper, Kat found her eyes getting heavy. She blinked sleepy eyes at Randy, who was slouched into the seat, feet up on the table , one boot crossed over the other one. They weren't speaking, a companionable silence had fallen over the two of them as they watched an old wrestling tape. Bob Orton vs Razor Ramon. Randy glanced over at her. "Do you snore quietly?" he asked. Kat gave him a filthy look. "Mr Orton, I don't snore at all. Only pigs do. So I take it you snore" she commented, beaming. Randy looked away before she could see the smile threatening to creep into the tanned features, calmed himself and then looked back. "I see. I was gonna offer you share my bed but now you can take the couch" he commented.

Kat's mouth closed audibly. Share his bed? She'd just...well she didnt know what she'd done with Dave. Had they split up? were they still together? She looked at him, she was tempted, hell she'd have to be blind, deaf, dumb and stupid not to be tempted, but she didnt know how things were with Dave. She still loved him and even if they had broken up, then she wasn't the kind of person to go bouncing into bed. Even if it was with Randy Orton. Randy placed his beer on the table and leant forward. "Easy Kat" and his voice was softer, "I didn't mean like that. Just the couch is pretty uncomfortable". The ice blue eyes held hers and he held up his hand. "Gimme a minute" She acquiesced and sat there watching Scott enfold Bob in some kind of move that almost snapped his neck clean off. It was obvious Hall was drunk but then Bob didnt look too clean either. Kat folded her legs underneath her and glanced at Randy's beer can on the table. She had a lot to thank him for. Getting her out of Raw, preventing her from making any embarrassing scene by running screaming after Dave and demanding an explanation like she wanted to do. Or from breaking down in the locker rooms like she'd done before. Instead she'd surived with her dignity intact and pulled off a match she knew was good. The resturaunt had been fun, sat there talking with Randy, like she did with Dave. And then Batista had showed up, obviously searching for her and she hadn't been able to raise her hand to let him know she was there. Didnt want to. Let him sweat, let him feel the way she was feeling. It was about time he got some of his own medicine back anyway.

Randy was in the doorway to his bedroom, leant against the doorframe, coughed to draw her eyes away from the tv as she blinked blearily. "Come on sleeping beauty" he ordered, clicking his fingers. Kat flipped him off in return and padded her way over, sneaking under his arm, which was resting on the opposite side of the doorframe. There was one king size bed...with a huge sword straight down the middle of it. Kat froze. Randy Orton was clearly a serial killer. "You're going to kill me" she said and she was only half joking. Randy glanced at the sword nonchalantly, "Of course not. Do you know how much they'd charge me to get blood out of those sheets?" he asked. Kat tried not to grin at that and took a closer look at the sword. It was a replica, massive, but fake. "Its for my brothers' son" Randy commented, standing in front of the bed and nudging the sword with a knee. "He's kind of a hellion" Kat shrugged, "Family trait" She touched it once, just to make sure it was fake and raised an eyebrow. "Nice present. But why do you have it on your bed?" Randy rolled his eyes and instead took his shirt off, sliding black fabric against washboard abdominals. Kat looked away sharply. That wasn't helping. She turned away when she heard the belt buckle and the sound of clothes. Randy snorted, "Your sensibilities are amusing" he commented and when she turned around he was slouched in the bed, sheet covering him up to halfway across his abdominals. She tried not to look at the expanse of stomach before her, not that they all didnt see it in the ring every day, but somehow now the expanse of skin was intimate. Kat looked at a point on his arm instead, shaped one of his tattoos in her mind. "You didnt explain the sword" she said, pointing to it. She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling soft down shape to her, only just realising how tired she was. Kat slipped off the jumper she'd put on, left the tank top and tracksuit pants on, slipped under the sheets. The sword lay neatly between her and Randy. If she shifted to him, she'd only meet the fake steel. Randy inched his pillow away from her with a mock disgusted look on his face.

"You've never heard the story of Genieve and King Arthur then" he said idly and Kat shook her head. "Russian remember? I can tell you Tsar Nicholas' life story instead" Randy patted the sword. "Arthur loved her, this pretty, innocent little thing in his kingdom right? So he courts her and she loves him back" Randy was sat up in the bed, his eyes fixed on the wall just beyond Kat's head, like he didnt want to look exactly at her. She curled into the pillow, laid the length of the bed and looked up at him as he spoke. "They got married, only come the wedding night he finds out just how innocent Genieve is. She's so innocent she doesn't know what sex is and when he reaches for her, she's so scared she runs off" Kat was getting interested in the story, propping herself up on one elbow. It made the tank top sag slightly in front and she was conscious of Randy's gaze dropping before he pulled his eyes away with an effort. "She tells him in the morning she's scared he'll attack her...like that. So the next night Arthur tells her to come to bed. She goes in and there's a massive sword on the bed. She's scared he's into some kind of kinky shit" Kat giggled, "Like some I know" Randy flipped her off and continued. "He says the sword is there to protect her. One side for him, one side for her. He'll never cross the line of the sword, never reach over it. It'll stay there. She can cross over it, she can reach over or get rid of the sword, but he wont touch it. It'll stay there" Kat looked down at the sword as he spoke. Just like Arthur, the sword was neatly separating the two halves of the bed. One side for Randy, one side for her. "It stays that way for two nights, then Genieve takes the sword off the bed" Randy finishes and glances at the sword too. "Same deal".

Kat's so thankful that she feels tears welling up in her eyes. Randy's not pressuring her to do anything. He's not even trying. He really only does want to make sure she sleeps. "Thank you" she tells him and he shrugs, lays down on the bed, rests his head on the pillow. As she tugs the comforter up around her, she hears him mutter, "Dont think I don't want to though". It cracks her up and she starts to laugh into the pillow. "Real smooth. Really smooth Randy. You just ruined your entire romantic premise there" Randy starts to laugh too, loud in the quiet thats settled in around them. "Sleep. Or I'll stuff your mouth with the pillow" he promises. Kat makes a rude noise, but lays her head back down, feels the weight of her exhaustion catch up with her. Next to her, she can hear Randy's breathing deep and even. She's conscious of the sword between them. After a little while, Kat touches the sword. Its still there. She rests a hand on top of it. Randy shifts. He wasn't asleep at all, the lying sod. He touches the backs of her fingers with his on top of the sword, holds her hand. Kat sleeps.


	9. Chapter 9

Kat woke early, feeling the sunlight sneak through the closed curtains. She blinked her eyes against it, lifting her right arm to rub at bleary eyes, looking to her left, where Randy Orton should have been. In the middle of the night she'd woken with a start, glancing over and seeing Randy fast asleep. The arrogant, hard face had been completely relaxed in his sleep and something about the steady, slow breathing had calmed her back to her own dreamland while Randy slept the sleep of the righteous. Her hand had been locked in his all night, the sword remaining where it was. Now she opened her eyes to find his side of the bed empty, the sheets crumpled where he'd left them.

Kat sat up, feeling a hangover start behind her eyes. The beer she'd had last night announcing its prescence as she massaged her temples. God, what had made her try that out? As she slung her feet over the side of the bed, glancing down at the wrinkled pants she was wearing, Kat remembered. Dave. Dave and Melina. Thats why she'd drank so much beer and why she was paying for it now. The morning didnt bring the tears she'd been expecting, but a lonely ache in her chest.

She could hear Randy moving in the kitchen, apparently unhampered by his own hangover. Kat stood gingerly, tugging her singlet top down into place and walking out into the kitchen. She passed by the mirror, wincing at the birds nest her hair seemed to have turned itself into overnight, rubbed stray mascara from her cheek. "Morning sunshine" Randy commented, pushing a mug of coffee towards her. Kat took it gratefully, "Remind me again...I'm a recently cheated on woman?" Randy made a frustrated face, "No. Your boyfriend is an ass who'll probably try and get you back at this interview today" he pointed out. He shotputted the cloth he'd been using into the sink, looking absorbed in his aim before he flicked a glance her way. Randy appeared not to have any issue with hangovers, the brilliant baby blues as bright as ever, hair still dripping drops against the back of his neck. When he moved Kat caught the scent of his aftershave, following the tattoos sprawling down his arms as he tapped the counter top. "You still want me to come?" he asked. Kat looked up at him, tried to read the expressionless face. She couldnt tell whether he was bothered or not. "If you want to" she said, looking down at her own hands, the little half crescent marks where she'd dug her fingernails into her palm right after seeing Dave. Her broken phone lay somewhere in the back of her car, she hadn't checked her email and she dreaded to think whether Dave had gone back to their hotel room or not. "Kat, do you want me to come?" Randy asked, knocking her chin up with his finger casually. Kat found herself staring into his eyes. "Yeah" she admitted. Randy shrugged, "Fine". Checked his watch, "Then you'd better get a move on" Kat glanced at the clock. It was half 8 and her interview was at 9:30. "Shit! Why didn't you wake me?" she asked, slapping Randy's shoulder. He arched an eyebrow, "I look like an alarm clock to you?" he quipped, before relaxing back against the counter, arms either side of his hips and regarding her with his head tilted to one side, "And you needed your sleep". That was true. Kat felt like maybe this thing was manageable after last nights' sleep.

The thought of seeing Batista at this interview didnt exactly thrill her though and she was grateful Randy was coming too. Maybe his presence would throw Dave enough not to question her. Kat still wasn't sure what to make of all this. On one hand she wanted to see Dave, wanted to know if what he'd done had affected him like it had affected her, but on the other hand, it was kind of nice not to worry about anything. She gulped down the rest of the coffee and ran for the shower, asking Randy quickly over her shoulder as she went. He hopped up on the counter, furrowed his brow as he heard the water run. Kind of had the idea to go in there and slide the door open on her. Which he'd do if she wasn't healing right now. It intrigued him that Randy didnt just follow up on his urge right now. Why was he even bothered Kat was healing? It hadn't bothered him before. Kat was too close already, but he couldn't pull his ring persona on her. God knows he'd tried, but he found himself dropping too many walls when she grinned. Of course, she wasn't grinning too much right now. Randy rubbed his hand over his face, slid off the counter and sloped into the bedroom, opened the wardrobe door. The sooner he took Kat to this interview and found out whether she'd be coming back here after all, the better.

He could hear Kat fumbling about in the shower, listened to her mumbling to herself as she dressed. A few minutes later she came out, her hair up in a bun, the jeans she'd been wearing as smooth as she could make them with the pathetic iron the hotel offered. Her singlet top was crinkled beyond repair, tugging it down and looking at it sadly as she came out of the bathroom. Her makeup was back on, eyes outlined in kohl, lips glossed, perfect blush. The effect was only marred by her expression as she regarded her top. "Here" Randy said, throwing her one of his t shirts. Kat caught it and looked it over, one of his promotional ones with the gas mask on the front. She didnt mention it wasn't exactly the right impression to send Batista, just took the shirt and slid it over her head. It was way too long, so she tied it in a knot around her stomach, dug her hands into the butt pockets of her jeans, looked at Randy. His jeans were torn around one knee and she fought the urge to go over and sew the rip closed. He wore a dark blue t shirt that made his eyes darker against his tan. "Randy" she said, glancing up at him, "Its kinda not numb, but I'm a little apprehensive about going today". There, she'd said it. Let him make a comment out of that one, waited for the insult.

It never came. Randy reached forward from where he stood, drew her into a hug. Kat relaxed back against the muscled arms holding the base of her spine. "You'll be fine" he said, fighting the urge to kiss the top of her head. Kat rested against him for a moment, then glanced at the clock over his shoulder. They were running late. "Thanks, hey, we better go" she said adding "Don't want to keep Dave waiting" . It was the wrong thing to say, Randy's face darkening. He let her back out of the hug, stood back. Waited for her to get her things together and led the way down to the car in silence. Kat trailed a step behind, wishing she hadn't said it. She wanted to see Dave, she did but at the same time Kat wanted to stay here, right in this bubble where nothing seemed too hard. But her pride kept her back from apologising to Randy so she continued on in silence, sliding into the car next to him.

The place they'd chosen for the interview was a hotel not too far away, which meant Kat didnt have all that long to sit in silence next to Randy. After a mile or so of him not talking she found herself looking sideways at him. Taking in the tanned features and the dark eyes, the vibrant colours in his inkwork against the colour of his shirt. As he stopped at a traffic light, Randy arched his eyebrow her way and Kat realised her surreptitious staring wasn't that surreptitious after all. "Trying to commit you to memory" she said after a moment. Randy nodded, like that was a perfectly natural thing to do. "Im kind of hard to forget" he cracked. Kat snorted as he pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. "Do you ever say anything that isn't a comeback? Or up yourself?" she asked seriously, hopping out of the door before Randy could come round. She saw Dave's Maybach sprawled in the parking lot as she did so. He never was any good at parking, the expensive car so close to a concrete pillar it was a wonder he'd managed to get out of the car at all. The sight of the car sent a chill right down her spine. Did she want to see him again? Kat couldnt say for sure whether she wanted to be here after all. She loved Dave but she was sick of all this. And he'd already proven he wasn't that great at changing his stripes.

Randy watched her face pale as she took in the car, nudging her forward with his shoulder, answering as he did so. "Sometimes" the truthful reply took Kat by suprise, turning to ask him about it. Last night, when she was drunk, she could vaguely remember that Randy hadn't had his walls up. And definetly not in the resturaunt, but now it seemed like he was guarded, waiting. Kat wondered if he was thinking whether she'd go back to Dave or not. Truth be told, Kat was thinking the same thing.

The interview was being held in one of the conference rooms, kind of over the top but it made for good photos. When they went in Batista wasn't in the room, had ducked out somewhere the guy said, giving Kat a knowing smile. She wished he'd quit smiling. Kat sat in one of the chairs the reporter pointed out, bringing Randy a chair close to her. He gave her an odd, intense look but settled in it. His right hand hung off the arm, close to hers, but it stayed where it was. Kat left her right hand near his, but sat on the other hand, curling it in under her thigh. She wished she'd made more of an effort with her outfit, wished she wasn't advertising RKO as she sat there, wished she'd stop worrying about it. Dave had seen her throwing up blind drunk and Dave had seen her sick with the flu so why was she worrying what kind of an impression she made now? The reporter started the interview without Dave, asking her a few questions about her career now she was on Raw, did she have any ambitions for the title, things Kat could answer without really paying attention. Orton didnt stay quiet more than five minutes, cutting in now and again with helpful, insightful little comments in his mocking tone that had Kat giggling and the reporter trying to figure out a way to tell the Legend Killer to shut up without getting his block knocked off.


	10. Chapter 10

Kat actually forgot where she was, sat neatly in the directors' chair, one foot curled under her backside, waiting for the love of her life who may no longer be the love of her life to appear. Randy Orton was either on crack or on fine form as he deftly flipped every comment the reporter made into somehow reflecting on his greatness. The sheer ego coming off him was enough to make Kat snort with giggles. The reporter was getting frustrated, the entire interview and photoshoot was meant to be about Kat and Dave. Batista should be on his way back and had been contritely helpful. The reporter had almost no quotes from Kat and far too many from Orton, who wasn't even supposed to be part of the damn thing.

Kat's giggles stopped abruptly when Batista returned, nudging the door open with his shoulder as he carried in coffee and donuts. He paused halfway to the interview area, steam from the coffee making the sunglasses he was wearing cloudy. The face, the same handsome face Kat knew so well, was completely still. She couldnt tell what he was thinking until his mouth opened slightly and he said, "Kat? You're laughing?" It was probably only an innocent question but it irritated Kat beyond belief. Yes, she was laughing. No, she wasn't sat down weeping her eyes out like he expected her to. "Yeah. Randy was being funny. Did you expect to find me crying?" Her words came out a little harsher than she'd intended, she saw Randy smirk and Dave's lips twist together. He set the coffee and donuts down, passing Kat her cup. She saw with a smile that it had all her favourites added and her favourite kind of donuts. "Didnt know you were coming" Dave snapped to Randy. Randy waved a hand dismissively, slouched in his seat so he was closer to Kat. "You don't know a lot of things". Tension crackled between the two of them, Randy's stone cold blue eyes and Dave's unseeable ones behind the lenses. Kat coughed to break the tension and leant forwards towards the reporter. Dave's eyes travelled the length of her body as she did so, the little smirk he gave out the side of his mouth was enough to make Randy crack his knuckles together. Kat flicked him a glance. He shrugged. "You were saying?" she asked the reporter. When he posed the question, Kat answered, Dave chipped in and the conversation flowed on like the two of them had never split up, never had anything happen. It was enough to make Randy sick. The only thing keeping him in his seat was the fact Kat hadn't jumped on Dave the minute she saw him, hadn't run into his arms and didnt appear to be fawning over him. She was just sat, looking towards him every now and again like she wasn't sure what to think.

When the reporter suggested they take a break an hour or so later, trying to organise the rest of his questions, Kat leant back in her seat and played with the now cold coffee. The donuts had gone and she was eyeing off the sugar in the bottom of the packet. Dave dipped a finger into the sugar, held it out to her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Randy's head snatch their way so fast it was a wonder it didnt come off his neck. It was odd, she should be used to doing this kind of thing with Dave, they'd been together long enough, but there was something different about it now. Maybe it was the fact Melina had been all over him yesterday that changed how he was in front of Kat's eyes, but she couldnt just pretend like nothing was wrong. "I don't think Im really comfortable doing that just yet" she told Dave softly. He frowned, rubbed the sugar on his jeans. Kat tried not to remember she'd done almost the same thing with Randy last night. Dave ignores Randy, slides the shades off his eyes and Kat can see they're tired, rimmed red. Dave's been crying, or something near it. Then Kat remembers sometimes when he drinks he looks the same way. "Just yet?" Dave asks. He leans in a little, "So whats that mean Kat? You're coming home now or later?" Randy shifts a little in his seat, not a lot, just enough to send Kat a non verbal message that he's listening. What he wants to do is lean forward and punch Dave right on his fat nose, stand up and march Kat out of here before firebombing the place but he's frozen waiting for her answer. "I don't know" she answers. Looking in his face, she remembers the first time she saw him. The first date they went on, but the images blur with Melina, with the first woman he saw before her.

Kat forgets Randy's beside her and asks, "Are you still seeing Melina?" Randy grunts and Kat looks at him again. "Please" He throws up his hands like he was innocent all along. "I was never seeing her Kat. It was just...it was a mistake. I just needed..." Kat arches an eyebrow and again forgets Randy's there, "You needed what? Sex? What you get at home isn't good enough for you?" she quipped. Randy's face is black behind her and it bores into Dave. He stares Randy right back and then lowers his eyes to Kat. "Dont be like that" reaches out to touch her, calm her down. He has no idea where this cold part of her has come from, but he doesn't like it. Of course, he understands he was bound to get some kind of feedback from the whole being caught with your pants down thing but some part of him thought it would be just like before. Only it isn't. He glances up at Randy again, "Why are you here anyway?" he asks, cutting Kat off in mid sentence as she argues back with him. She swallows angrily and looks round to Randy, waiting for his answer. "Cause Kat didnt want to come home to you. I wonder why" Randy says sarcastically and Dave goes for him. Randy's on his feet in seconds, waving one arm in front of Dave now, gesturing for him to come on then. Kat steps between them and Randy drops his hand immediately. Its Dave who leans over her with a hand almost at her face. "D!" she hisses and he looks down. Sees his fiery girlfriend frowning at him. "Randy helped me. Dont start with him".

Its been said guilty people make the first attack and so Dave did now. "Helped you did he Kat? You know why he helped you" Randy points a finger at him, "He isn't all sweetness and light Kat honey, remember that. Randy Orton's a male too deep down. You want to be another notch?" he asked. Kat frowned at him, "Isnt that what I am now with you? A notch?" she spat angrily. Randy resisted the urge to yell hah! At Dave and settled back on his heels instead, waiting to see how Dave was going to pull himself out of this one.


	11. Chapter 11

Randy waited almost eagerly to see how Dave was going to manage to pull himself out of this one. But to his utmost annoyance, Dave pulled the boyfriend card and leant forward on his chair, ignoring the reporter tapping their pen pointedly on the clipboard. "Kat...I don't want to fight. I want to make things right again. I love you" he said and Randy wanted to take the clipboard and ram it down his throat. He wanted to say something badly, to make Kat come back with him, but he knew it had to be her choice. So he curled his body to the other side of the chair, stared out the window. He could see Kat turn to look at him briefly, to see what he was doing but when Dave spoke her attention reverted back to him like a shot.

"You want to make things right again?" she asked. Dave dropped any pretence of caring about the interview. Of course he wanted things to be right again. He'd made a stupid, stupid mistake, so he told her. "Of course I do. I made a stupid bloody mistake like I made last time. It almost cost me everything I loved last time and I'm scared stupid its done the same again" Dave said honestly and Kat's eyes filled. Dave wasn't much given to opening his heart, especially in a room with Randy Orton and some reporter who looked like he was dying to just fill in the blanks and write a better interview than the one on Dave's wrestling ability. "Dont cry" Dave said. Kat shook her head. "I'm not. It's just...I don't know if it can be alright again D" Randy looked back, glanced at her face. Kat was staring at Dave earnestly, so earnestly Randy wanted to set him on fire. He would have done it too, if the reporter didnt give him a wink and say "Do you think we should give them time alone?". No. No he didnt think we should give them time alone. He thought someone should stop letting Dave ramble off shit at the mouth. He took another look at Kat, whose eyes hadn't left Dave and shrugged, brushing past the reporter to stand outside on the step in the sun. He didnt blame Kat. She was trusting, she was or had been in love. It was Dave's fault. Most things boiled down to being that assholes' fault.

"What're you saying?" Dave said, shifting his chair closer to her when the other two left. "You want to finish it and end it for good?" The look in his face made her stop and pause. He seemed truly horrified by the thought, but she couldnt wipe the image of Melina and him out of her head, so soon after the other Diva. "No. I don't want to end it Dave...its just. You said you were done messing around and then I see you with her. What can I believe?" she asked. It was the most confusing thing she'd ever have to work out. "You can believe I love you" Dave said and she looked up just then to his face over hers, the dark brown eyes and the way his lip twisted when he really wanted something, like he wanted now. He looked so honest. But then he'd looked that way then too. "I love you too. But how can I believe you love me when you go off and do something like that?" she asked. "That isn't love. Thats you needing to get your rocks off D" Dave hit the side of his knee angrily. "I don't know why I did it okay Kat? I haven't got an excuse, she was just there, she'd been after me for weeks" Kat rolled her eyes, "So its her fault...well, she is a bitch" she commented and Dave smiled. "She is" He waited a beat more. "And she's not as good as you" Kat giggled and hit out at his arm, landing a solid smack on a firm bicep. "Flattery gets you nowhere" she was serious for a moment. "You coming home with me?" Dave asked and Kat shook her head.

She felt Dave freeze right next to her. "I don't know if I can just come home right now and pretend nothing ever happened Dave. I love you but I need time" she said and Dave made a low sounding growl. "Time?" "Time for you to show you do love me and you're not just after some regular piece to keep your bed warm" she said coldly. Dave looked hurt. "Kat...you know...you know how I feel about you" he replied and Kat relented a little. "I know. But give me, say a week or so?" Dave straightened in his chair, lengthened his legs a little and cast her a look from between shadowed lids, "A week to win you back huh?" Kat grinned, liking the sound of it. "Yeah. A week to win me back" Dave thought, scratching the growing whiskers. "Deal" he shook her hand, then held onto it, smoothing his fingers across her knuckles.

"Be ready tomorrow night then" he commented as the reporter came back in. The guy checked over his clipboard. He'd pretty much gotten everything he could and there was nothing else to keep Dave or Kat here any longer. The photoshoot had been called off at the last minute, Kelly Kelly had a Playboy shoot and Vince wanted that covering instead. Which was fine for Kat. If she had to stand half naked next to Dave with his hands on her, her resolve about really thinking things through would crumble like her attempt at baking. "I'm gonna head off then" she told them both, standing up and smoothing down her jeans as Randy headed back in through the door. He had aviators shadowing the baby blues and she couldnt see what he was thinking as she neared him. Kat looked up at him as he paused at her side. "Is it okay if I stay with you again?". Randy was silent and Kat blushed, "I mean, I'm sorry. I know last night was kind of a one off, I just presumed...its okay" she went to brush past Randy. Behind them both Batista's face was so dark with anger it would have made Randy laugh if he wasn't listening so intently to what Kat had just said. Kat had been with Randy? So she hadn't been crying her eyes out like he thought. before Dave could stand up and question her about it Randy slid the glasses down his nose and Kat could see the intense, brilliant blue focused on hers. "Sure thing. You stay as long as you need to" he said easily, watching Dave's face blacken. As Dave went to yell at him Randy flipped him off, neatly leading Kat out of the building with his arm around her shoulders. She apologised again for intruding on him as they walked back to the car. "Im sorry. I should have thought. I just sort of assumed...its not very Viper-ish to take in a lost kid now is it?" she asked. Randy snorted and clicked the lock for the car. "You're not a kid Kat" he ran his eyes down her spine, the curve of her backside as she climbed in through the door he held open. "Definetly not a kid". He walked round to the drivers side and got in, started the engine. "And don't worry about it. I said you could stay. Now shush".


	12. Chapter 12

"He told me he wants to make it up to me" Kat said quietly. Randy glanced over as they drove, almost missed the guy coming into the other lane. "Make it up to you? How exactly do you make up having sex with another woman?" he asked. Kat winced and he shook his head at himself. Smooth move Randall. Kat filled him on the whole date week thing, the fact she was supposed to be ready tomorrow night for some kind of date. Randy's teeth gritted, she could see the tension in his jaw as he drove.

"Kitkat" he started, "Dont take this the wrong way but the man got it off with another woman" Kat frowned, "How am I not meant to take that the wrong way? Could you have said it any more insensitively?" Randy's lips tweaked, "Fine. I meant, going on a lot of romantic dates is going to blind you to what he did. He's gonna fill your head full of champagne dreams and then just when you're comfortable, he'll do it again" Kat was quiet and for a moment he thought she was going to snap at him like she had on Raw when she'd run into him, but she didnt. She was staring out the window at the streets passing by, so clearly thinking he could almost see them flit through her mind. "I don't know if you're right" she said softly, turning to face him in the seat and giving him bright eyes from underneath her bangs. "I don't know if I give him a chance and it works and we live happily ever after, or if I give him a chance and 6 months later down the track he finds Eve or something" Kat said and there was a torment in her voice that closed Randy's throat. He said nothing for a moment letting the streets slip by until he saw the place he'd been unconsciously looking for. "Here" he announced and turned the car into a parking lot.

Kat looked up, saw a thrift store. A massive one that spilled back into the parking lot and carried on for most of the allotted spaces on the block. A bright smile lit her face. She loved thrift stores, loved sifting through the racks and pulling pieces out, flicking through the lines of books and picking the ones she'd never read and the ones she'd read over and over until the quotes were almost her thoughts. But Dave hated them and she didnt think it was the Viper's style to hang around in them either. There was a distinct air of life in them that didnt fit with this numb persona he was hanging out on the line. "You like thrift stores?" she asked, Randy smirking at her beaming face. "No" he answered truthfully, "They bore me rigid Kitkat. You need something to cheer you up is all". Kat twisted once more in the seat and held the brilliant blue gaze with her own. "Why are you bothered about cheering me up Randy? I don't get this numb Viper deal and this guy in front of me". Randy looked out the window, didnt answer her question for a few moments. "I don't know either" he admitted and Kat paused in getting out of the car. "You're kind of hard to read" he told her. Randy wasn't quite sure why he wasn't pushing her away like he did everyone else either, how she'd managed to get quite so far under his skin in such a short time and why he wanted to kill Dave. Well, that last one was easy, Dave was a prick, but it was unlike him to actually want to go to bat for someone. And he wanted to bat for Kat. Wanted to make sure Dave never came back in the picture. "You're doing a pretty good job" Kat said, then slid out of the car before he could comment. She was off and wandering into the thrift store and Randy knew he'd lost her the minute he followed her in.

Kat was at the back surrounded by books, looking up happily as far as they would go, running her fingers along the back of the spines, fingering the lettering. He picked his way past mouldering teddy bears and some old desk to where she was, stood a little way off and watched her. Kat turned with her hands already full of books and smiled at him. "Thanks" she said, placing them in a pile on the floor happily. "I really needed something like this".


	13. Chapter 13

She had needed something like this, something where there was no pressure, no demands. The silent prescence of the Viper at her back was cool and comforting at the same time as she looked through the books, turned and let her hands run through the vintage furs. There was a peace that went beyond the store she was in, beyond the sweet little old ladies who'd ogled Randy as they walked in. And it was coming from the man himself.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" she asked. Randy shrugged, "I offered didnt I?" he said, leaning against the racks of clothing. His back brushed up against dresses as Kat tipped her head up from where she sat, looking up at him. He had one arm resting on the rail, one foot folded over the other and was looking back down at her. He blinked, as if he hadn't expected her to notice and nudged one of her piles with his foot. "What are you looking for anyway?". Kat explained her favourite authors to him and for a moment she thought Randy wasn't listening. Then she realised he was scanning the shelves above her where her height couldnt reach, picking out titles for her and handing them down. Kat shifted to where he was standing, scooting on her butt and tipping her head back to follow his hand moving along the shelves. She could only see up to about the 3rd or 4th shelf and Randy's hand was skimming higher. Her movement meant she had to lean back against his legs and she paused, unsure whether the cold, numb man who'd marched her back into Raw would notice. He not only noticed but steadied her, reaching down with his free hand to settle her shoulders back. The same hand rested on her head briefly, fingers drifting through her hair, then it was gone and Randy had both hands on the shelf. Kat stared at the titles in front of her, not really seeing any of them. She could feel Randy's fingers playing with her hair still, the light pressure against her skull. His legs were warm against her back. He hadn't said anything about her moving, or whether she was cutting off his circulation. Randy was silent above her, a kind of comfortable silence that let her go back to roaming the shelves. But it stayed in her mind. It wasn't a numb gesture to make, it wasn't even a friendly gesture to make. There was something intimate in the way that hand had touched her hair and Kat, whose heart could be mistaken for a swamp right now, found herself wanting it back there.

Randy interrupted her thoughts by gently tapping the top of her head with a book. "Here". Kat took it from him and squealed excitedly, "I've been looking for this forever!" she said, promptly folding her legs underneath her better and leaning forward so she could open the book, sitting with it open on her lap and promptly flicking through the first few pages. She didnt even notice she'd leant away from Randy's legs until his hand guided her back to them, so Kat was propped up against them, sat comfortably with the book in her hand. He glanced down at the top of her head, almost buried in the book. It was cute. There seemed to be a whole raft of women coming through whose only thought was self promotion, whose only words they read were the ones they themselves had written. The women today if you'd permit him the old time language, didnt seem to care about any aesthetic beyond themselves anymore. But Sam had taken an old, crumbling book and delved into it like it held jewels there. she was still wrapped against his legs, sliding her finger amongst the pages and muttering to herself. Randy crouched down so his knees were against her shoulders, supporting her, put his lips close to her ear, let his eyes travel over the neat ponytail in front of him, wanted to cup her shoulders in his hands as he spoke. He saw Kat shiver slightly and he wasn't sure whether it was from the cool air coming in through the shops' open window near them or whether it was from him. "So whats so awesome about this then?" Kat leant back so her head was on his knee, far too close to other parts of his anatomy and he needed to move in his crouching position then, the jeans suddenly too tight. Her head rested there, on his knee and she looked up. he saw a flash of apprehension in her eyes like she was worried about his response as she told him the writer was one of her favourites. It was a particular novel you didnt normally find, it had gone out of print some time ago and she loved these books. Loved stories like these. The apprehension in her eyes was still there when she'd finished talking. Randy wanted to know why. Why was she so worried about his reaction?. "Does Batista not read then?" he asked and Kat gave a wry grin, "Him? No. He reads muscle magazines and thats about it. He hates stuff like this. This is the first time I've been somewhere like this in..." she couldn't even remember when she'd been somewhere like this before, not when she and Dave were together. If they were still together. "And he doesn't like you coming places like this?" Randy guessed. Kat looked as if Randy were about to yell at her, about to tell her off, that was why she seemed so apprehensive. "I prefer Jack Kerouac" he said, letting his hand touch the back of her hair, stroke it softly. When she didnt move, neither did he. "Really?" Kat asked and her eyes lit up like Christmas trees. "Yeah. Like On The Road" Randy started to tell her about the novel he'd picked up in high school, the stories he'd liked ever since, how good it was to be travelling somewhere, to have a long wait for a plane or something and be able to crack the spine of a book. "Kinda not Viper-ish either Kitkat" he joked and Kat smiled. It wasn't. She was learning the persona he played on Raw was a lot different to this one.

But she'd seen that he didnt drop it for just anyone. When he'd spoken about his mom there'd been real emotion on his face and now the handsome face looked happy, like he was talking about something he liked. When he'd been near that reporter, near Dave, it hadn't been any of that. It had been the blank stare and the masklike expression. Kat resolved to stop thinking about it, settled further back against his knee and continued to flick through the pages. Randy's legs went numb below the knee, pins and needles in his calves but he was loath to move, to shift Kat from where she was. His hand stayed in her hair, folding the curls over and over in his fingers idly, watching them slip over the tan.

Neither of them noticed the afternoon sun slipping by, not when Randy finally gave up and ended up sat on the floor next to her, back leaning against a clothes rack. One of the old women came to check on them and observed the pretty girl and the handsome man sat on the floor. The girl was sat with her knees bent, resting up against the man's chest. He had one hand in her hair and the other down on the floor, close to her knee, like he wanted to raise it. The girl had a book open and was reading it. She was reading it aloud to the man with her and the old woman stopped and listened for a few moments. Neither of them looked up and she doubted they knew she was there. She slunk back to her other old lady friend and proceeded to tut happily over the pair. It was only when the evening began to draw in and they wanted to get home to cook dinners that they remembered the two in the back of the store. The old woman went back and startled Kat by clearing her throat. "Its closing time" she said apologetically and Kat glanced at her watch automatically. "Oh my godfather!" she exclaimed, "Its 5pm!" she sat forward and the old lady saw a grimace pass across the mans' face with her. "You should have told me earlier, you've been stuck in this place for hours" Kat told him as she stood, leaning on one of the rails to do so. Randy stood too and shrugged. The old lady got the feeling he would have sat quite happily with his feet in boiling water if it meant the woman was there.


End file.
